It’s not exactly breaking news that David Price doesn’t set the world on fire during the postseason, and the yearly reminder was made Saturday in a nightmare outing.
The Red Sox left-hander was shelled by the New York Yankees in Boston’s loss in Game 2 the American League Division Series. Price allowed three runs on three hits with two walks in just 1 2/3 innings of work.
The meltdown reignited the criticism that has surrounded Price nearly his whole career. While plenty of it is justified, teammate Rick Porcello explained why it’s not all on Price.
“It’s easy to point fingers at an individual, but over the course of any game, we all have something that we can do to help us win or do better, especially when we take a loss,” Porcello said Monday, via The Eagle Tribune’s Chris Mason. “So none of this is ever entirely on David’s shoulders or one player.
“We all can do something better,” the right-hander added. “We can score more runs. We can play better defense. We can pitch better in relief. We can do a lot of things better. It’s not just on his shoulders. We all take responsibility for wins and losses, and that’s how we move forward.”
Price could come out of the bullpen as soon as Monday’s Game 3. He’s thrived as a reliever in the playoffs, but regardless of the capacity he’s being used in, the Red Sox would benefit from the 33-year-old figuring things out.